It seems that video game studios have been having massive lay-offs, or sometimes even complete shutdowns, with increasing frequency lately. The latest casualty in this trend is the Australian independent studio Defiant Development.
In a statement recently posted to their social media accounts, Defiant Development announced that they will be “ceasing development of new titles.” The message explains that the studio had always set out to make games that “nobody else would,” and how this isn’t always a very safe model, particularly in a field as fickle as the video game industry. Ultimately, “the games market has changed in ways both big and small in the 9 years we’ve been in business. We have not been able to change quickly enough to continue with them.” The message then thanks the staff of Defiant Development, many of whom will now be looking for work elsewhere.
Defiant Development is known for a catalogue that includes the mobile game Ski Safari, the mobile game Heroes Call, and the PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 games Hand of Fate and Hand of Fate 2. The studio had also been working on a new game called The World in My Attic, which was originally planned for release in 2021, but which will now go unfinished.
The studio has stated that while they will no longer be developing new games, they will continue to support their existing titles.
